Chelsea: Eden Hazard has had 'best season of his career' says Branislav Ivanovic

Branislav Ivanovic has lavished praise on teammate Eden Hazard, claiming the Belgium star has develop massively from last season and is becoming Chelsea's most important player.

The 24-year-old is one of the favourites to win 2014-15 Professional Footballers' Association player of the year award after being nominated alongside teammate Diego Costa, Tottenham starlet Harry Kane, Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez and Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho.

The Belgium international has been in manager Jose Mourinho's starting line-up in all 32 Premier League games of the campaign, scoring 13 goals while providing 11 assists.

And after Hazard netted the winner in the crucial Premier League match against Manchester United on 18 April, Ivanovic has paid tribute to his sensational season.

"He is flying. In my opinion it's been the best season of his career," the Chelsea right-back told the club's official website.

Hazard scored 14 Premier League goals and had nine assists in the last campaign but Ivanovic believes this season he has been even better.

Ivanovic said: "He's made a difference every game. All season he has got a lot of kickings but he never complains. He's a hard worker on the pitch. He's improved massively from last season and for us he has been the most important player.

"I see him every day in training and I've played a lot of games with him. He's the guy who when you pass him the ball you just have to leave him alone. He will do everything. He's something different."

Meanwhile, Ivanovic has urged his side to remain focused in the last part of the campaign in order to secure the Premier League title as soon as possible. The Blues visit second-place Arsenal on 26 April, 10 points clear of the Gunners with just six games remaining.

"It's been a very long season. When you look at the first couple of games we played in the league it feels like it was two years ago. So it's been very tough for us but we're coming to the end now and we must stay focused," he said.

"We have six games to go and psychologically our first aim is to win the title as soon as possible, but we don't need to rush. We have to study every game, we have to handle every game and we hope to win it as soon as possible."